McDonald's adding calorie counts to menus

In early bid for health-conscious patrons, McDonald's lists calories on menu a year before the feds require it.

September 13, 2012|By Matt Assad, Of The Morning Call

There's no truth to the theory that the "Billions Served" phrase on the McDonald's sign refers to the calorie count of its Extra Value menu.

Still, as Sloan Williams glanced up at the menu in the Bethlehem Township McDonald's, he was startled by the number after his favorite meal, the Angus Bacon and Cheese combo. It said 1,410 calories — the equivalent of five hours on the treadmill.

Williams was fresh out of the hospital after being treated for scary high blood pressure, and he admitted that a meal like that could quite literally be the death of him.

"Whoa, that is a lot of calories," said Williams, carrying 275 pounds on his 5-foot 8-inch frame. "I never used to think about that."

McDonald's announced Wednesday it's making it easier for patrons to think about that by listing the calorie counts on the menu, right next to the price.

Executives of the world's largest fast-food company said the new health-conscious menus will be up at all 14,000 restaurants by next week, but patrons were surprised to find them in some Lehigh Valley restaurants already.

A Big Mac and fries? That'll be 930 calories. Add a Coke — and 210 calories — and you'll have to stay on that treadmill another hour.

That Quarter Pounder with Cheese will cost you 750 calories, and even the tasty apple pie rings the meter at 250 calories. Yet, McDonald's officials say the more their patrons know about the food they're buying, the better.

"We're voluntarily taking the lead on this because we feel it's important to our customers," McDonald's President Jan Fields said.

Though a few junk-food foes have panned the menu change as little more than a public relations campaign, national healthy food advocates applauded the McDonald's move, noting that when McDonald's leads, others tend to follow.

Like it or not, every restaurant chain with more than 20 outlets will be required to list calorie counts on the menu by the end of next year, under the new U.S. health care law. McDonald's is a year ahead of the expected deadline.

Valley residents got their first taste Wednesday and the reviews were expectedly mixed, said Eileen Windzigl, a shift manager at the Route 191 McDonald's.

"We've had some people say, 'Wow, that's high,' " Wingzigl said. "But just as many are surprised at how low the calories are on some of the meals. I really don't think it has affected sales."

According to a sales clerk at the Stefko Boulevard McDonald's, one patron noticed the new menu, canceled her order and re-ordered based on calorie counts.

But studies suggest that most fast food connoisseurs choose with their bellies and wallets. For Frank Turdo of Lower Nazareth Township, the new menu was just a distraction from what he really wanted — big food cheap.

"Can't beat the price," Turdo said as he ate the Daily Double cheeseburger meal with his wife, Diane. "Besides, I could drink a six-pack of beer every night and not gain an ounce."

Like many fast-food chains, McDonald's has been adding healthier menu options that include more salads and apple slices in all Happy Meals. It's been experimenting with a placard highlighting "Favorites under 400 calories." And Wingzigl noted that the calorie stats have been available for years to patrons who took the trouble of asking.

It's becoming increasingly clear that there is money to be made from healthy meals. Subway has vaulted to become the nation's second-largest chain on the strength of a menu it says helped Jared lose more than 200 pounds.

For the record, Williams said no one has to worry about him. He walked out of McDonald's with only a Happy Meal for his daughter in hand.